Britney Spears’s private life has been on display ever since she burst on the scene back in the late ’90s with “…Baby One More Time.” It seems that every few months, new questions arise about the conservatorship the pop icon has been under since 2008 (initially with her father, Jamie Spears, in charge), with some fans even starting a #FreeBritney campaign.
But what, exactly, does a conservatorship mean, and what does the Spears family have to say about it? Let’s break it all down.
Per Variety, Judge Brenda Penny ruled on September 29, 2021, to suspend Jamie as conservator of Britney’s estate. This is the most significant development to come from the case so far.
Variety reports accountant John Zabel will temporarily step in a conservator of Britney’s estate. He’ll now oversee her finances until the court figures out next steps. Rosengart says the conservatorship should be terminated altogether by end of the year and suggested a termination hearing within 45 days.
Britney posted to Instagram shortly after the ruling, saying she’s “on cloud nine.”
“[Britney] is entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required,” the petition reads, according to NBC News on September 7. “The conservatorship has helped Ms. Spears get through a major life crisis, rehabilitate and advance her career, and put her finances and her affairs in order. But recently, things have changed…Ms. Spears is now outspoken in her frustration with the level of control imposed by a conservatorship, and has pleaded with this Court to ‘let her have her life back.’”
It’s worth noting this filing, while a victory for Britney overall, paints the conservatorship in a positive light. In June, however, Britney said very plainly she feels the conservatorship is “abusive” and has done her “way more harm than good.”
On September 22, TMZ reported that Britney’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart, had filed documents essentially agreeing with her father’s assessment that the conservatorship no longer serves Britney and that she should be released without medical evaluation, something she mentioned during her emotional testimony months prior.
Per TMZ on August 12, Jamie’s lawyer said in official documents, “Even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests. So, even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator.” Click here for more details.
Per The New York Times, Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, filed the petition on Monday, July 26. He cited that if “Ms. Spears has sufficient capacity to choose her own legal counsel, she likewise has sufficient capacity to make this nomination.”
“I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him for conservatorship abuse,” she told a court on July 14, according to Variety. “I want to press charges for abuse on this conservatorship today…all of it.”